OFFICE OF GRADUATE STUDIES FUNCTIONS & STATISTICS Updated April 2021

The information contained in this report represents the major functions for the Office of Graduate Studies. This is not a complete representation of all functions.

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The Office of Graduate Studies supports graduate students while they work toward their

goal of earning a graduate degree(s). Some functions offered by the office include: faculty, staff, and student support; advising services to assist students with graduate forms, final semester requirements, and answer any questions or concerns they may have; student development opportunities such as professional development events and workshops, writing and editing help, thesis and dissertation formatting, and one-on-one student support for academic complaints or grievances. The goal of the Office of Graduate Studies is to effectively assist graduate students during every step of their journey at Missouri S&T.

Provide campus leadership and FACULTY, STAFF, and STUDENT SUPPORT

Provide student-centric ADVISINGservices

Provide graduate STUDENT DEVELOPMENTopportunities

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Advise Graduate Students > Offer one-on-one advising sessions for graduate students via phone, email, Zoom, or in

person. > Advise on various questions regarding the rules and regulations outlined in the graduate

catalog and Policy Memo II-20, as well as questions about when forms are due, how to fill them out, how to read a degree audit, formatting the thesis/dissertation, and much more.

Process Graduate Student Forms > Receive, review, and process graduate student forms. These forms indicate graduate

students’ academic intentions, details of the student’s degree program, advisory committee members, and performance on various examinations. As a result, they provide a record of a student’s readiness for an advanced degree, academic progress, results of defense, and acceptance of the thesis/dissertation. As students’ plans may change, one student may submit multiple versions of the same form throughout their academic career.

- Certificate students have two potential forms available (Substitution for Required Certificate Course(s), Certificate Program Courses Form)

- Master’s students have four potential forms (Forms 1/1A, 1B, 2, and 3) - Doctoral students have five forms (Forms 4, 5/5A, 6A, 6B, and 7)

> Work with students, faculty, and staff to ensure forms are both received and processed in the most timely and efficient manner.

> Review and approve additional forms that are required for some students, depending on their situation, such as, Request to Change Catalog Year, Request for Leave of Absence, Dually Enrolled Undergraduate Graduate Credit Indication, Oral Defense Registration, Request for Continuous Registration, Application to Conduct Off-Campus Research, Reduced Enrollment Request, Request for Waiver of Enrollment Requirements, OPT Recommendation, CPT Request, I-20/DS-2019 Extension Request, Transfer-Out, UM Visiting Graduate Student Application.

Update Graduate Forms Templates > Ensure that all the form templates are kept up to date in accordance with the graduate

catalog. > Make appropriate edits and submits forms to the Graduate Council and Graduate

Faculty for review/approval. > Maintain and edits the instructions for the forms as needed. > Upload newly created/revised forms to the Office of Graduate Studies website.

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Build/Review Graduate Degree Audits > Input the Graduate Forms 1 and 5, plan of study for master’s and doctoral students, in

the degree audit system (u.achieve). This builds an individual degree audit per student based on their specific plan of study. This results in a valid degree audit that can be used by the campus community to determine whether a student has issues with their program, such as academic requirements, grades, and GPA.

- Input changes to degree audit as outlined on revised Graduate Forms 1A and 5A, Substitution for Required Certificate Courses Form, and Certificate Program Courses Form to ensure they are both following their plans of study and on-track to a timely graduation.

- Enter milestones into Joe’SS, as indicated by submission of the graduate forms so they will appear on the degree audit to assist in tracking a student’s progress toward degree completion.

> Review degree audits each semester of all enrolled graduate students to ensure forms are submitted based on the timeline required by the graduate catalog and place registration holds on student’s accounts via Joe’SS as necessary.

> Review degree audits for graduating students - Identify problems that may delay graduation after the deadline to apply for

graduation has passed. - Work with the department/student to clear as many of these issues as possible

before the close of the semester - Communicate with the Registrar’s Office to remove students from the

graduation list that are unable to meet requirements.

Authorize Degrees/Certificates to be Awarded > Verify that all degree/certificate requirements have been met and processes the Final

Graduation Audit forms at the close of each semester/session. > Deliver Final Graduation Audit forms to the Office of the Registrar, thereby authorizing

them to award the degrees/certificates.

Check Format of Theses/Dissertations > Review each thesis/dissertation to ensure the format meets the required specifications

as set by Graduate Faculty before the final copy is accepted. - Each thesis/dissertation is typically reviewed an average of 4 - 6 times before

the format is correct, and the final copy can be accepted. > Create/update Microsoft Word templates and user guides. > Update LaTeX templates by communicating changes to the faculty administrator.

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> Maintain the S&T LaTeX User Google Group and provide information regarding LaTeX templates per the student’s request.

Prepare Degree Completion Letters > Provide letters, upon request, for students who have satisfactorily completed all

requirements for the degree/certificate, prior to it being awarded. (After the degree/certificate has been awarded, an official certification letter must be obtained from the Office of the Registrar.)

Monitor C/F/I Grade and Probationary Status > Generate report and degree audit indicating C/F/I grades and semester GPA after final

grades are posted each semester/session. Based on the student’s catalog year, the following action is taken:

- 2019-20 Catalog Year and Prior: Notify students they have received C, F, or I grade and informs them of the requirements. Degree audits are periodically reviewed for students who received I grades, until the grade has been changed. If the grade changes to C/F and exceeds ten total credits hours, a dismissal letter is sent to the student.

- 2020-21 Catalog Year and Beyond: Notify students who have been placed on probation based on their previous semester GPA, and place a Graduate Academic Probation hold on the student’s account via Joe’SS. Degree audits are reviewed after final grades are received each semester thereafter. If coursework is completed and the semester GPA is at least 3.0, the Academic Probation hold is removed; if coursework is completed and the semester GPA is below 3.0, a dismissal letter is sent to the student.

Interpret Graduate Catalog and Chancellor’s Policy Memo II-20

> Serve as a subject matter expert regarding the graduate catalog and Policy Memo II-20 > Provide guidance to various students, advisors, faculty, staff, members of the University

of Missouri System, as well as the general public.

Host Presentations, Workshops, and Academic Events > NSF GRFP, SMART

- Advertise to inform students of fellowship opportunity and rules for submission of fellowship application

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- Provide Informational sessions to students outlining the necessary requirements, procedures, and benefits of the fellowship.

- Provide one-on-one workshops with students to review/edit drafts. > Formatting Your Thesis/Dissertation

- Present formatting requirements as outlined in the Thesis & Dissertation Specifications set by Missouri S&T Graduate Faculty. This presentation was recently revised, so it is now given in two formats: one for students who use Microsoft Word and one for those who use LaTeX. Both presentations are offered several times each semester/session.

> Writing Camps - Provides informative workshops and structured writing sessions where students

learn how to set goals and improve their productivity no matter where they are in their writing progress.

> Three Minute Thesis (3MT) - Work with students to prepare a three minute speech about their research,

discovery, and impact. The speech is presented to non-discipline specific judges in preliminary, semi-final, and finale rounds. The winner competes regionally against winners from other Midwestern Schools at the Missouri Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) conference.

- Host and plan the event, including the preliminary, semi-final, and final rounds. > Evening with Employers

- Before the pandemic we organized an mixer between our graduate students and employers of students with MS, MA, MBA, and doctoral degrees.

Provide Technical Editing Services > Provides free editing services and writing resources to graduate students currently

enrolled at S&T. The goal of these services is to help S&T graduate students to learn writing skills and strategies to enhance and elevate their writing for publication.

- Documents submitted for editing are checked for correct grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling, and the editors meet with students to clarify or discuss, if needed.

Oversee Grad Track Pathway (GTP) Program > Created the Grad Track Pathway templates and processes that were approved by the

Graduate Faculty. Allows academic departments to create a Graduate Track Pathway program that offers early provisional admission to the master’s degree program to exceptional undergraduate students. This accelerated program is designed for students to earn graduate credits towards their master’s degrees while completing their bachelor’s degrees. A GTP is defined by a set of graduate level courses (no more

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than nine credit hours) that apply towards the bachelor’s degree and also towards an associated master’s degree.

> Work with each individual academic department to create and maintain their GTP program.

> Process student applications for the GTP to ensure the student is in compliance with the individual department GTP requirements.

> Monitors student progress through the completion of their bachelor’s degree, admittance to the master’s degree, and submission of the plan of study.

Provide Support for the Graduate Council and the Graduate Faculty

> Work closely with Graduate Council and Graduate Faculty providing administrative support for each.

> Attend monthly meetings with the executive committee to provide logistical support for the committee.

> Schedule and attend the graduate council monthly meetings and graduate faculty semesterly meetings. Assist in preparing for each meeting by sending out the agenda and documentation prior to the meeting.

> Maintain the Graduate Council and Graduate Faculty websites > Coordinate graduate faculty appointments and reappointments, including: routing

paperwork to membership committee; preparing and emailing letters; requesting, sorting, and manipulating reports from Human Resources for appointment dates; and updating membership lists accordingly.

Lead and Provide Support for the Council of Graduate Coordinators and Staff (CGCS)

> Hold monthly meetings with CGCS members to update them on current graduate issues and changes to policy

> Ensure that new members in academic departments are trained to understand the proper procedures and processes regarding graduate students/programs.

> Maintain CGCS website

Provide Training to the Campus Community > Provide training sessions on how to properly process forms; how to read degree

audits; how to modify certificate program requirements, etc.

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> Update the Graduate Forms Resource Manual that was previously created by the Office of Graduate Studies. This manual outlines all the details of the graduate forms, including due dates, detailed instructions on how/what to include on the form, as well as information regarding the Chancellor’s Policy Memo II-20 (rules for graduate student registration) and how to read a graduate student degree audit.

Handle Academic Dishonesty Cases > Review and investigate conduct cases that are reported

- As the primary administrative officer for the graduate student academic dishonesty cases, it is the responsibility of the Vice Chancellor of Research and Graduate Studies to review the conduct cases that are reported. After the investigation is completed, a decision is made on whether the case can be disposed of by informal or formal hearing.

> All academic dishonesty cases are entered and tracked in Maxient > During academic year 2019 – 2020, Graduate Studies reviewed six cases of academic

dishonesty

Provide Support for Student Grievances > Help students navigate through the grievance process > Become a point of contact for students to assist them if any issues arise during the process. > During academic year 2019 – 2020, the Office of Graduate Studies met with seven students

regarding a grievance.

Review Graduate Certificates and Graduate Degree Programs

> Review and process all new and revised paperwork for graduate certificates. Once a new/revised graduate certificate proposal is received, the proposal is placed on the Graduate Faculty website for review by the Graduate Faculty, and an ad hoc review committee is formed to review the proposed graduate certificate. After review and approval by the review committee, the proposal is sent to the Provost’s Office for approval and submission to UM System who forwards it to MDHE for final review and approval. Once the final approval is received, the Office of Graduate Studies sends an email to the department, Office of Global Learning, Financial Aid and Compliance Officer, and Enrollment Management; they include a copy of the MDHE approval paperwork and update the website accordingly.

> Proposals for new graduate master’s and doctoral programs are reviewed and approved by the Vice Chancellor of Research and Graduate Studies.

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Monitor Chancellor’s Distinguished Fellowships > Manage the Chancellor’s Distinguished Fellowships Program by monitoring and tracking

each student to ensure they are meeting the requirements each semester. This is no longer offered to new graduate students. Currently, there 16 students receiving the fellowship.

Serve on Campus Committees > Represent the Office of Graduate Studies by serving on various campus committees

including Campus Engagement Council, Forms Ad Hoc Committee, JED Coalition, Step-Up Committee, Prevention Coalition Committee, International Student Experience Subcommittee, Bill of Rights Ad Hoc Committee, Equity Hearing Panel, Student Affairs Communication & Outreach Committee, and Student Affairs Collaboration Team.

Additional Functions > Post updates to the office’s social media accounts such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and

Instagram > Create an annual graduate planner for graduate students that includes important dates and

deadlines, campus resources, and additional information > Review and provide updates to the graduate catalog each spring semester ensuring that

any changes approved by Graduate Faculty are included > Review and provide feedback for the commencement brochure each fall and spring

semester by checking graduate student names and information > Create consistent communications to be used when providing information to graduate

students regarding their forms, authorization for the comprehensive exam, final semester information, deadline dates, formatting information

> Create and provide various writing resources to students, including writing samples, screencasts, powerpoint, style guide samples, and links to additional resources

> Provide informational communications to the campus community, including welcome email and important graduation information to students each semester, registration hold information, graduation list updates, etc.

> Run various reports throughout the semester/session for use in monitoring graduate student rules and regulations

> Collaborate with other offices on campus to host, present, and/or advertise professional and social events happening all across campus

> Compile the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) submitted by doctoral students and submits a list of doctoral graduates to NSF each semester/session

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Supplemental Graphs and Tables The graph below illustrates the trend of graduate student enrollments from fall 2011 to fall 2020.

The graph below illustrates the total number of graduate student forms processed each academic year from 2015–16 to 2019–2020.

1322 12871429

1537 14551305 1275

1046 957 968

528 517 555 583 593 624 689 713 677 591

1850 18041984

2120 20481929 1964

17591634 1559

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

Fall 2011 Fall 2012 Fall 2013 Fall 2014 Fall 2015 Fall 2016 Fall 2017 Fall 2018 Fall 2019 Fall 2020

Graduate Student Enrollment

Master's & Certificate Doctoral Total

2237 21692291

2112 2064

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 2018-2019 2019-2020

*Totals include the Graduate Forms that are submitted to the Registrar's Office for the student's permanent file (Forms 1/1A, 1B, 2, 3, 4, 5/5A, 6, 6A, 6B, 7 and all Certificate Forms)

Graduate Forms Processed*

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The graph below illustrates the total number of graduate degree audits that were reviewed each year from 2015-16 to 2019-2020.

The graph below illustrates the total number of degrees and certificates awarded per academic year from 2015–16 to 2019–2020.

9412 9026 89508284 8080

0100020003000400050006000700080009000

10000

2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 2018-2019 2019-2020*Does not include the degree audit checks performed on the list of graduating students

Degree Audit Checks by Year*

427 431510

454 410

687624 613

514426

109 88 116 101 119

12231143

1239

1069

955

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

2015-2016 2016/2017 2017/2018 2018/2019 2019/2020

Num

ber o

f Deg

rees

Academic Year (SS, FS, SP)

Degrees Awarded by Level

Certificate

Master's

Doctoral

Total

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The graph below illustrates the total number of theses and dissertations that were accepted by the Office of Graduate Studies in spring, summer and fall of 2020.

The table below shows the total number of C/F/I letters and probation notifications sent in summer and fall 2020.

SS2020 FS2020 C/F/I Notifications Sent 10 59

Probation Notifications Sent -- 13

18 14 17

4130

43

59

44

60

0

20

40

60

80

100

SP2020 SS2020 FS2020

Total Number of Theses & Dissertations Accepted

Theses Dissertations

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The table below shows the number of students admitted into the GTP per program.

Program Number of Admitted Students

Nuclear Engr 7 Mining/Explosive Engr 7

Environmental Engr 2 Civil Engr 11

Computer Science 6 Applied Mathematics 4

Technical Communication 7 MBA 4 IST 10

Chemical Engr 3 Mechanical Engr 4 Aerospace Engr 1

Total 66

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The following graphs illustrate the total number documents and pages edited by the Office of Graduate Studies per academic year from 2015 – 16 to 2019 – 2020.

231

175158 156

184

0

50

100

150

200

250

AY2015-2016 AY2016-2017 AY2017-2018 AY2018-2019 AY2019-2020

Technical Documents Edited per Academic Year(fall, spring, summer)

45564135

3739 3702 3707

0500

100015002000250030003500400045005000

AY2015-2016 AY2016-2017 AY2017-2018 AY2018-2019 AY2019-2020

Pages Edited per Academic Year(fall, spring, summer)